Ashrams & Maths

Traditionally, an ashram (Sanskrit/Hindi: आश्रम) is a spiritual
hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a
locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga,
music study or
religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo.

An ashram would typically, but not always, be located far from
human habitation, in forests or mountainous regions, amidst
refreshing natural surroundings conducive to spiritual
instruction and meditation. The residents of an ashram regularly
performed spiritual and physical exercises, such as the various
forms of Yoga. Other sacrifices and penances, such as Yajnas
were also performed. Many ashrams also served as Gurukuls or
residential schools for children.

Ashrams have been a powerful symbol throughout Hindu history and
theology. Most Hindu kings, until the medieval ages, are known
to have had a sage who would advise the royal family in
spiritual matters, or in times of crisis, who was called the
rajguru, which literally translates to royal teacher. A
world-weary emperor going to this guru's ashram, and finding
solace and tranquility, is a recurring motif in many folktales
and legends of ancient India.

Sometimes, the goal of a pilgrimage to the ashram was not
tranquility, but instruction in some art, especially warfare. In
the Hindu epic Ramayana, the protagonist princes of ancient
Ayodhya, Rama and Lakshmana, go to the Rishi Vishvamitra's
ashram to protect his Yajnas from being defiled by
emissary-demons of Ravana. After they prove their mettle, the
princes receive martial instruction from the sage, especially in
the use of Divine weapons, called Divyastras (Sanskrit Divya:
Divine + Astra: missile weapon; the Sanskrit word 'astra' means
missile weapon, such as an arrow, as opposed to 'shastra', which
means a hand-to-hand weapon, such as a mace.) In the
Mahabharata, Lord Krishna, in his youth, goes to the ashram of
Sage Sandipani, to gain knowledge of both intellectual and
spiritual matters.